Interior sensing

ABSTRACT

A controller for sensing interior motion includes a sensor structure having transmitting conductors and receiving conductors. The controller comprises circuitry to drive and sense signals on interacting pairs of conductors (the transmitting conductor or receiving conductor can act as the drive side, or as the sense side). Signals are processed to analyze changes in measured signal and analyzed to determine interior movement. When the controller is deployed proximate to human skin, movement of muscles, tendons and bones within the skin are reflected in the measured signals.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 16/383,090 filed Apr. 14,2019 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/657,120, filed Apr. 13, 2018, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference. This application includes material which issubject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection tothe facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as itappears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, butotherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD

The disclosed apparatus and methods relate in general to the field ofsensors, and in particular to sensors that are able to detect motionoccurring within an interior space.

BACKGROUND

In recent years virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) havebecome increasingly popular as computational power and immersivepossibilities have become more common. Generally, while systems andmethods offer ways to interact with VR and AR environments, frequentlythe mechanisms for interacting with these types of environments detractsfrom the immersive nature intended to be obtained by these technologies.

What is needed are sensors that provide detailed information relative toposition, movement or interaction, without detracting from theimmersiveness of the overall system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of thedisclosure will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which reference characters refer to the same parts throughout thevarious views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating principles of the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a controller for detecting interiormotion

FIG. 2 shows another schematic view of the controller for detectinginterior motion that is shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows another schematic view of a controller for detectinginterior motion.

FIG. 4 shows another schematic view of the controller for detectinginterior motion shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a controller for detecting interiormotion.

FIG. 6 shows another schematic view of the controller for detectinginterior motion shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a diagram of an arrangement of conductors arranged in alinear pattern.

FIG. 8 shows a diagram of an arrangement of conductors arranged in anopposing saw-tooth pattern.

FIG. 9 shows a diagram of an arrangement of conductors arranged incomplementary saw-tooth pattern.

FIG. 10 shows a diagram of an arrangement of conductors arranged in apattern where the ends of the conductors are extending out of the page.

FIG. 11 shows a diagram of an arrangement of conductors where theconductors are arranged in a saw-tooth pattern and the conductors areextending out of the page.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description relates to sensors that have the ability todetermine interior motion. By “interior motion” it is generally meantmotion that is occurring within a volume of space behind or within alayer or layers of material, such as plastic, skin, fabric, etc.Interior motion may also reflect the movement of an object within avolume of space bordered by conductors/antennas. The volume of space maybe filled with a fluid or other medium through which an object orobjects moves. The motion of or detection of movement within the volumeof space is interior motion. For example, if the sensor is a braceletlocated on a wrist, the interior motion sensed would be the movement ofbones, muscles, tendons and ligaments located within the volume spaceformed by the skin of the wrist (i.e. the layer). In an embodiment, theinterior motion is sensed by measuring and determining information fromthe signals transmitted by and received by various conductors/antennas.

In an embodiment, one or more conductors (also referred to herein asantennas) are embedded within a structure or device and the one or moreconductors detect information concerning the interior movement. Theinterior information is determined from analysis of signals received. Inan embodiment, one or more conductors are embedded within a wearablesensor that detects information concerning pose as a result of analysisof received signals regarding the interior motion. In an embodiment,interior motion is inferred based on the change in the electricalrelationship between more than one conductor. In an embodiment, at leastone conductor is used to transmit an electrical signal and anotherconductor is used to receive that signal, and interior motion isinferred based on changes in the received signal.

This application relates to user interfaces such as found in U.S.Provisional application Ser. No. 16/251,975, entitled “Matrix Sensorwith Receive Isolation.” The entire disclosure of that application, andthe applications incorporated therein by reference, are incorporatedherein by reference. The presently disclosed systems and methods providefor designing and manufacturing sensors that employ a multiplexingscheme based on orthogonal signaling such as but not limited tofrequency-division multiplexing (FDM), code-division multiplexing (CDM),or hybrid modulation techniques that can combine multiple schemes suchas FDM and CDM methods. References to frequency herein could also referto other orthogonal signal bases. As such, this application incorporatesby reference Applicants' prior U.S. Pat. No. 9,019,224, entitled“Low-Latency Touch Sensitive Device” and U.S. Pat. No. 9,158,411entitled “Fast Multi-Touch Post Processing.” These applicationscontemplate FDM, CDM, or FDM/CDM hybrid touch sensors which may be usedin connection with the presently disclosed sensors. These applicationscontemplate FDM, CDM, or hybrid sensors which employ principles whichmay be used in connection with the presently disclosed sensors.

This application also employs principles used in fast multi-touchsensors and other interfaces disclosed in the following: U.S. Pat. Nos.9,933,880; 9,019,224; 9,811,214; 9,804,721; 9,710,113; and 9,158,411.Familiarity with the disclosure, concepts and nomenclature within thesepatents is presumed. The entire disclosures of those patents and theapplications incorporated therein by reference are incorporated hereinby reference. This application also employs principles used in fastmulti-touch sensors and other interfaces disclosed in the following:U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 15/162,240; 15/690,234; 15/195,675;15/200,642; 15/821,677; 15/904,953; 15/905,465; 15/943,221; 62/540,458,62/575,005, 62/621,117, 62/619,656 and PCT publicationPCT/US2017/050547, familiarity with the disclosures, concepts andnomenclature therein is presumed. The entire disclosure of thoseapplications and the applications incorporated therein by reference areincorporated herein by reference.

As used herein, and especially within the claims, ordinal terms such asfirst and second are not intended, in and of themselves, to implysequence, time or uniqueness, but rather, are used to distinguish oneclaimed construct from another. In some uses where the context dictates,these terms may imply that the first and second are unique. For example,where an event occurs at a first time, and another event occurs at asecond time, there is no intended implication that the first time occursbefore the second time, after the second time or simultaneously with thesecond time. However, where the further limitation that the second timeis after the first time is presented in the claim, the context wouldrequire reading the first time and the second time to be unique times.Similarly, where the context so dictates or permits, ordinal terms areintended to be broadly construed so that the two identified claimconstructs can be of the same characteristic or of differentcharacteristic. Thus, for example, a first and a second frequency,absent further limitation, could be the same frequency, e.g., the firstfrequency being 10 Mhz and the second frequency being 10 Mhz; or couldbe different frequencies, e.g., the first frequency being 10 Mhz and thesecond frequency being 11 Mhz. Context may dictate otherwise, forexample, where a first and a second frequency are further limited tobeing frequency orthogonal to each other, in which case, they could notbe the same frequency.

Certain principles of a fast multi-touch (FMT) sensor have beendisclosed in the patent applications discussed above. Orthogonal signalsare transmitted into a plurality of transmitting conductors (orantennas) and the information received by receivers attached to aplurality of receiving conductors (or antennas), the signal is thenanalyzed by a signal processor to identify events. The transmittingconductors and receiving conductors may be organized in a variety ofconfigurations, including, e.g., a matrix where the crossing points formnodes, and interactions are detected at those nodes by processing of thereceived signals. In an embodiment where the orthogonal signals arefrequency orthogonal, spacing between the orthogonal frequencies, Δf, isat least the reciprocal of the measurement period τ, the measurementperiod T being equal to the period during which the columns are sampled.Thus, in an embodiment, a column or antenna may be measured for onemillisecond (τ) using frequency spacing (Δf) of one kilohertz (i.e.,Δf=1/τ).

In an embodiment, the signal processor of a mixed signal integratedcircuit (or a downstream component or software) is adapted to determineat least one value representing each frequency orthogonal signaltransmitted to a row. In an embodiment, the signal processor of themixed signal integrated circuit (or a downstream component or software)performs a Fourier transform to received signals. In an embodiment, themixed signal integrated circuit is adapted to digitize received signals.In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit (or a downstreamcomponent or software) is adapted to digitize received signals andperform a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) on the digitized information.In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit (or a downstreamcomponent or software) is adapted to digitize received signals andperform a Fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the digitized information—anFFT being one type of discrete Fourier transform.

It will be apparent to a person of skill in the art in view of thisdisclosure that a DFT, in essence, treats the sequence of digitalsamples (e.g., windows) taken during a sampling period (e.g.,integration period) as though it repeats. As a consequence, signals thatare not center frequencies (i.e., not integer multiples of thereciprocal of the integration period (which reciprocal defines theminimum frequency spacing)), may have relatively nominal, but unintendedconsequence of contributing small values into other DFT bins. Thus, itwill also be apparent to a person of skill in the art in view of thisdisclosure that the term orthogonal as used herein is not “violated” bysuch small contributions. In other words, as we use the term frequencyorthogonal herein, two signals are considered frequency orthogonal ifsubstantially all of the contribution of one signal to the DFT bins ismade to different DFT bins than substantially all of the contribution ofthe other signal.

In an embodiment, received signals are sampled at at least 1 MHz. In anembodiment, received signals are sampled at at least 2 MHz. In anembodiment, received signals are sampled at 4 Mhz. In an embodiment,received signals are sampled at 4.096 Mhz. In an embodiment, receivedsignals are sampled at more than 4 MHz.

To achieve kHz sampling, for example, 4096 samples may be taken at 4.096MHz. In such an embodiment, the integration period is 1 millisecond,which per the constraint that the frequency spacing should be greaterthan or equal to the reciprocal of the integration period provides aminimum frequency spacing of 1 KHz. (It will be apparent to one of skillin the art in view of this disclosure that taking 4096 samples at 4 MHzwould yield an integration period slightly longer than a millisecond,and not achieve 1 kHz sampling, and a minimum frequency spacing of976.5625 Hz.) In an embodiment, the frequency spacing is equal to thereciprocal of the integration period. In such an embodiment, the maximumfrequency of a frequency orthogonal signal range should be less than 2MHz. In such an embodiment, the practical maximum frequency of afrequency orthogonal signal range is preferably less than about 40% ofthe sampling rate, or about 1.6 MHz. In an embodiment, a DFT (whichcould be an FFT) is used to transform the digitized received signalsinto bins of information, each reflecting the frequency of a frequencyorthogonal signal transmitted which may have been transmitted by thetransmit antenna 130. In an embodiment 2048 bins correspond tofrequencies from 1 KHz to about 2 MHz. It will be apparent to a personof skill in the art in view of this disclosure that these examples aresimply that, exemplary. Depending on the needs of a system, and subjectto the constraints described above, the sample rate may be increased ordecreased, the integration period may be adjusted, the frequency rangemay be adjusted, etc.

In an embodiment, a DFT (which can be an FFT) output comprises a bin foreach frequency orthogonal signal that is transmitted. In an embodiment,each DFT (which can be an FFT) bin comprises an in-phase (I) andquadrature (Q) component. In an embodiment, the sum of the squares ofthe I and Q components is used as measure corresponding to signalstrength for that bin. In an embodiment, the square root of the sum ofthe squares of the I and Q components is used as measure correspondingto signal strength for that bin. It will be apparent to a person ofskill in the art in view of this disclosure that a measure correspondingto the signal strength for a bin could be used as a measure related toactivity, touch events, etc. In other words, the measure correspondingto signal strength in a given bin would change as a result of someactivity proximate to the sensors, such as a touch event.

In various embodiments discussed below, the disclosure is directed tomotion sensing controllers, and methods for designing, manufacturing andoperating motion sensing controllers (e.g., hand movement controllers),and in particular controllers using signals to determine an amount ofinterior motion to model a body part. Throughout this disclosure,various controller shapes and patterns are used for illustrativepurposes. Although example compositions and/or geometries are disclosedfor the purpose of illustrating the invention, other compositions andgeometries will be apparent to a person of skill in the art, in view ofthis disclosure, without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure herein.

Generally, the sensing methods described herein sense interactionbetween pairs of conductors (also referred to as antennas), where atleast one is used for transmitting a signal, and at least one is usedfor receiving a signal. In an embodiment, either of the pair (each ofthe two conductors) is used for transmitting or receiving. In anembodiment, both conductors are used for both transmitting andreceiving. In an embodiment, each of the two conductors are used forboth transmitting and receiving simultaneously. When used fortransmitting, the conductor is operatively connected to a signalgenerator. When used for receiving, the conductor is operativelyconnected to a signal receiver.

The term antenna is often used interchangeably with the term conductorwhen referring to the interacting pairs. Specifically, where a signal istransmitted on one conductor/antenna, a field is created between thatconductor/antenna and one or more other conductor/antenna (e.g., atleast one receiver conductor—but there can be many). The field createdcan be disturbed by certain kinds of interactions, e.g., the presence ofhuman body parts or other objects. Sensing is accomplished by measuringsmall changes in the field by the motion of objects within the field. Inan embodiment, changes in the magnitude of a signal received at thereceiver are measured and used to derive sensing information. In anembodiment, changes in the phase of a signal received at the receiverare measured and used to derive sensing information. In an embodiment,sensing relies on the fusion of multiple measurements (e.g., magnitudeand phase), including measurements made by other sensors. It will beapparent to a person of skill in the art in view of this disclosure thatalthough the elements that operatively join the conductors/antennasdescribed herein with the driving or receiving circuitry (e.g., signalgenerators or signal receivers) may be conductive, and may even bereferred to as a conductor, it does not refer to the conductor/antennafor sensing interactions.

Throughout this disclosure, the terms “interior motion”, “interiormovement”, “interior action” or other descriptors may be used todescribe events or periods of time during which changes in signalsreceived by a conductor (e.g., antenna) are caused by such movementwithin a volume of space surrounded by material. Generally, movementwithin a volume of space bordered by conductors causes changes to afield generated by the transmission and receipt of signals by theconductors. Changes to the field can be measured and are indicative ofmotion that is occurring within the field. In an embodiment, the changesin the field are used to identify pose, e.g., a body position or handposition. In an embodiment, an “interior motion”, “interior movement” or“interior action” may be detected, processed, quantified and/or suppliedto downstream computational processes with very low latency, e.g., onthe order of ten milliseconds or less, or on the order of less than onemillisecond.

The term “controller” as used herein is intended to refer to a physicalobject that may provide the function of an interface with a computer orcomputer implemented software. In an embodiment, the controller is awristband. In an embodiment, the controller is able to detect movementsof a hand through interior movements occurring within the wristband. Inan embodiment, the controller is able to detect the movements of a handby sensing such movements directly as well through interior movements.See, e.g., U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/473,908, entitled“Hand Sensing Controller,” filed Mar. 20, 2017; U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/488,753, entitled “Heterogenous Sensing Apparatus andMethods” filed on Apr. 22, 2017; and U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/588,267, entitled “Sensing Controller” filed on Nov. 17, 2017;the contents of the aforementioned applications incorporated herein byreference.

In an embodiment, the controller provides position and/or movement ofbody parts through the detection of interior motion. The interior motionprovides information regarding the surface areas proximate to and/orassociated with the body part and/or function, e.g., the articulation ofthe bones, joints and muscles of the wrist area and how it translatesinto the position and/or movement of the hand; the articulation of thebones, joints and muscles of the ankle area and how it translates intoposition and/or movement of the foot; the vibration and movement of thevocal cords and how it translates into speech; the detection of aheartbeat; and/or the detection of pulse.

The controller and sensing modality discussed herein focuses on interiormotion, however it should be understood that the controller and sensingmodality may be used with and/or in addition to other sensingmodalities. In an embodiment, the conductors perform more than one typeof sensing modality in addition to interior motion sensing. In anembodiment, the relative movement of conductors with respect to eachother may be used to determine information in addition to or instead ofinterior motion. In an embodiment, at least one of the conductors may bea flexible conductor and perform interior motion sensing and deformationsensing. When performing deformation sensing a deformable conductor maybe performed, such as set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/943,221, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference. By “deformable” it is meant that the shape of the first orreceiving conductor changes, for example, but not limited to, bending,twisting, compressing, expanding, lengthening, shortening, and/orfolding. The deformability of at least one of the first and receivingconductors permits movement of the at least one of the first andreceiving conductors relative to another of the first and receivingconductors. For example, a transmitting conductor can be deformable andmove relative the receiving conductor. The transmitting conductor may befunctioning as a transmitter and the receiving conductor may befunctioning as a receiver. In this example, the receiving conductorreceives signals that can be used to determine the amount of deformationthat has occurred. This deformation is then used to extrapolateinformation regarding the user, for example, hand position, ankleposition, chest motion, etc. In an embodiment, the deformable conductoris a conductive magnofluid material, such as ferrofluid, gallium andgallium alloy.

The apparatuses discussed herein, which may be controllers, usetransmitting conductors and receiving conductors. The transmittingconductors and receiving conductors can be transmitters, receivers orground. However, it should be understood that whether the transmittingconductor (or receiving conductor) is a transmitter, a receiver, orground depends on context and the embodiment. In an embodiment, thetransmitters and receivers for all or any combination of patterns areoperatively connected to a single integrated circuit (IC) capable oftransmitting and receiving the required signals. In an embodiment, thetransmitters and receivers are each operatively connected to a differentintegrated circuit capable of transmitting and receiving the requiredsignals, respectively. In an embodiment, the transmitters and receiversfor all or any combination of the patterns may be operatively connectedto a group of integrated circuits, each capable of transmitting andreceiving the required signals, and together sharing informationnecessary to such multiple IC configuration. In an embodiment, where thecapacity of the integrated circuit (i.e., the number of transmit andreceive channels) and the requirements of the patterns (i.e., the numberof transmit and receive channels) permit, all of the transmitters andreceivers for all of the multiple patterns used by a controller areoperated by a common integrated circuit, or by a group of integratedcircuits that have communications therebetween. In an embodiment, wherethe number of transmit or receive channels requires the use of multipleintegrated circuits, the information from each circuit is combined in aseparate system. In an embodiment, the separate system comprises aGraphics Processing Unit (GPU) and software for signal processing.

Now turning to the figures, embodiments of controllers implementinginterior sensing are disclosed. Turning to FIGS. 1 and 2, shown is anembodiment of a controller 20(a) that is adapted to detect interiormotion within the interior of the circle that is shown. FIG. 1 shows anopaque view of the controller 20(a) while FIG. 2 shows a viewillustrating the inside of the controller 20(a). Shown in FIGS. 1 and 2is an exemplary sensor structure 10 comprising a plurality oftransmitting conductors 11 and a plurality of receiving conductors 12located throughout the sensor structure 10. The transmitting conductors11 and/or receiving conductors 12 are operably connected to integratedcircuit 100. transmitting conductors 11 are operably connected to theintegrated circuit 100 via lead 101 and receiving conductors 12 areoperably connected to the integrated circuit 100 via lead 102.Integrated circuit 100 comprises the drive and sense circuitry. Thesensor structure 10, the transmitting conductors 11 and the receivingconductors 12 form part of the controller 20(a). In an embodiment, thecontroller 20(a) is a device for measuring a function of a body part. Inan embodiment, the controller 20(a) is a device for determiningposition, movement and/or another characteristic of a body part.

In an embodiment, the sensor structure forms a portion of a wearable,such as a wristband, ankle band, arm band, headband, neck gaiter, ring,etc. In an embodiment, sensor structure forms a portion of a wearable,such as pants, shoes, socks, shirts, hats, goggles, gloves, gauntlets,etc. In an embodiment, sensor structure is embodied in a film that issecured on a user. In an embodiment, sensor structure is a portion of awearable that is secured directly on a user's skin. In an embodiment,sensor structure is a portion of a wearable that may be secured to auser directly on the skin via an adhesive.

In an embodiment, the sensor structure is a portion of an automotivesystem that can benefit from sensing, e.g., a car seat, steering wheel,console, dashboard, interior door, tire, carpet, etc. In an embodiment,the sensor structure is a portion of a robotic system that requiressensing, e.g., control arm, etc. In an embodiment, the sensor structureis a portion of another system that requires sensing within an interiorregion and can use the information gained from sensing within theinterior region to provide a useable result to the system. For example,a piping system or other system in which activity takes place within aninterior volume of a space.

In an embodiment, the sensor structure is made of material that is anelastomeric. In an embodiment, the sensor structure is made of materialthat is a rubber. In an embodiment, the sensor structure is made ofmaterial that comprises silicone. In an embodiment, the sensor structureis made of material that is a fabric. In an embodiment, the sensorstructure is made of an elastic material. In an embodiment, the sensorstructure is made of a material that has cavities formed therein. In anembodiment, the sensor structure is made of a material that has adifferent stiffness than either transmitting conductor or the receivingconductor, or both. In an embodiment, the sensor structure comprises atleast two portions, each having a different Young's modulus (E). In anembodiment, the sensor structure comprises two portions, a first portionsupporting the transmitting conductors and a second portion supportingthe receiving conductors. In an embodiment, separate portions of thesensor structure have a different rigidity or stiffness. In anembodiment, separate portions of the sensor structure have a different Evalue. In an embodiment, separate portions of the sensor structure canmove in relation to each other.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the transmitting conductors 11 and thereceiving conductors 12 are located within the sensor structure 10. InFIGS. 1 and 2, the transmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors12 are shown paired and running parallel to each other. The pairs oftransmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12 extend around thecircumference of the controller 20(a). In FIGS. 1 and 2, the lengthwisedimension of the transmitting conductor 11 and the receiving conductor12 extends in the height-wise dimension of the controller 20(a). In theembodiment shown, the paired transmitting conductors 11 and receivingconductors 12 are spaced equidistantly from each other pair.

In an embodiment, the transmitting conductors 11 are not arranged inparallel to one another or to the receiving conductors 12. In anembodiment, the transmitting conductors 11 extend in a lengthwisedirection perpendicular to the direction the receiving conductors 12extend in a lengthwise direction. In an embodiment, the transmittingconductors 11 are arranged in a variety of directions with respect toone or more of the receiving conductors 12. In an embodiment, thetransmitting conductors 11 may be arranged in a distribution that israndom. In an embodiment, the transmitting conductors 11 are arranged inan ordered distribution. In an embodiment, the transmitting conductors11 are arranged in a predetermined configuration. It should beunderstood that the orientation of the transmitting conductors 11 withrespect the receiving conductors 12 may vary and many differentconfigurations will be apparent to a person of skill in the art in viewof this disclosure.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the transmitting conductors 11 and thereceiving conductors 12 are shown having cylindrical shapes. Each of thetransmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12 may have shapesother than a cylindrical shape and several transmitting conductors 11and receiving conductors 12 may have shapes that differ from one-anotherwithin the same sensor structure 10.

In an embodiment, the conductors are formed as three-dimensional objects(or the faces of such three-dimensional objects, see, e.g. FIGS. 5 and 6discussed below), examples of which include: cubes, rectangular prisms,triangular prisms, octagonal prisms, tetrahedrons, pyramids, squarepyramids, hexagonal structures, dodecahedral structures and cones. In anembodiment, interleaving conductors and other conductors in two or moredimensions are possible. For example, 2 mm cubes could be placed, e.g.,2 mms apart in a two dimensional grid within a sensor structure that is,e.g. 1″ wide and worn on the wrist, while another layer of similar cubescould be deployed within a sensor structure that is ½″ wide, and whichcircumscribes the first array, but is affixed so that it generallycovers only the center ½″ of the second structure. In an embodiment, anarray of e.g., alternating transmitting conductors and receivingconductors can be employed.

In FIG. 1, the transmitting conductors 11 function as transmittingantennas and the receiving conductors 12 function as receiving antennas.In FIGS. 1 and 2, transmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12are made of solid conductive material. The transmitting conductors 11and the receiving conductors 12 are operably connected to the IC 100 vialeads 101 and 102. As discussed above the roles of the transmittingconductors 11 and the receiving conductors 12 may switch or alternate iffrom frame to frame.

In an embodiment, receiving conductors 12 are made of a flexibleconductive material and transmitting conductors 11 are made of aflexible conductive material. In an embodiment, the locations of thetransmitting conductors 11 and the receiving conductors 12 vary. In anembodiment, the receiving conductors 12 are located within the sensorstructure 10 at a location that has a stiffness different than thestiffness of the sensor structure 10 where the transmitting conductors11 are located. In an embodiment, the locations within the sensorstructure 10 that are of different stiffness may be within the sameplane. In an embodiment, the locations within the sensor structure 10may be at different layers within the sensor structure 10. “Stiffness,”generally, is a property of the displacement produced by a force alongthe same degree of freedom, e.g., the change in length of stretchedspring. In the international system of units this property is typicallymeasured in newton per meter.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the integrated circuit 100 is a mixedsignal integrated circuit and is adapted to generate one or more signalsand send the signals to the transmitting conductors 11 via leads 101.Receiving conductors 12 may receive signals and transmit the receivedsignals via leads 102 to the integrated circuit 100. The IC 100 andleads 101 and 102 function as drive and sense circuitry to cause thetransmitting conductors 11 and the receiving conductors 12 to forminteracting pairs of conductors, and to measure and process theinteractions between the interacting pairs of conductors during aplurality of integration periods.

In an embodiment, a mixed signal integrated circuit 100 is adapted togenerate one or more signals and send the signals to at least one of thetransmitting conductors 11 and the receiving conductors via leads 101.In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 100 is adapted togenerate a plurality of frequency-orthogonal signals and send theplurality of frequency-orthogonal signals, respectively, to a pluralityof conductors selected from the plurality of the transmitting conductors11.

In an exemplary wrist band embodiment, such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,information about hand and wrist motion can be ascertained by detectingchanges in the signals measured that reflect movement within the volumesurrounded by the sensor structure 10. In an embodiment, eachtransmitting conductor 11 can be used to transmit a plurality offrequency-orthogonal signals. In an embodiment, operation of thetransmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12 can bedynamically re-configured, allowing each of the transmitting conductors11 and receiving conductors 12 to operate as either a transmitter or areceiver (or ground) during any integration period. In an embodiment, atransmitting conductor 11 (or receiving conductor 12) can be used asboth a transmitter and a receiver (albeit of differentfrequency-orthogonal signals) during a single integration period. In anembodiment, two groups of transmitting conductors 11 (or receivingconductors 12) are used as both transmitters and receivers during thesame integration period; the first group of transmitting conductors 11(or receiving conductors 12) has its received signals passed through ahigh pass filter and are used to transmit only low frequencies, whilethe second group of transmitting conductors 11 (or receiving conductors12) has its received signals passed through a low pass filter andtransmit only high frequencies.

Using the mixed signal integrated circuit 100 described above, oranother system that can transmit and receive signals, measurements aremade corresponding to the changes in the electrical interaction ofinteracting pairs of conductors. These measurements are then used toderive information about interior motion that occurs within thecircumference and volume of the controller 20(a) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.As the wrist articulates within the controller 20(a) movements withinthe wrist interact with and cause alterations in the field generated bythe signals transmitted from the transmitting conductors 11 and receivedby the receiving conductors 12. Each frame of received signals isprocessed by the integrated circuit 100 and used to determinealterations in the field. The alterations are then compared topredetermined values for the field in order to correlate the alterationswith interior motions. The predetermined values for the field can beascertained via machine learning algorithms. Additionally, machinelearning can be implemented to refine the accuracy of the detectedmovements within the interior volume of space.

In an embodiment, multiple frames of received signals may be receivedand statistically modified in order to reduce noise when analyzing thereceived signals. For example, multiple frames of signals may bereceived and averaged in order to produce a clearer image of theinterior motion. Further accuracy and refinement of interior movementmay be ascertained by the various measurements made from differentregions of the sensor structure 10.

In an embodiment, the signal measurements (which can be magnitude and/orphase) are used to determine an interior motion and infer a position ormotion of a body part such as the articulation of the bones, joints,tendons and muscles. In an embodiment, signal measurements are used todetermine a position or motion of a body part such as the articulationof the bones, joints and muscles of the wrist area. In an embodiment,signal measurements are used to determine the position and/or movementof a hand, wrist, foot, ankle, head, neck, torso, arm, shoulder, or anyother body part, or a portion of a body part. In an embodiment, signalmeasurements are used to determine elastic movement of skin in relationto a body or body part. In an embodiment, signal measurements can beused to determine the vibration and movement of vocal cords. In anembodiment, signal measurements are used to deduce sounds or speech fromthe vibration and movement of vocal cords. In an embodiment, signalmeasurements are used to determine respiration, heart activity, pulse orother biomechanical changes. In an embodiment, signal measurements areused to determine the magnitude of hand motion. In an embodiment, thechange in signal is used to determine a direction of the hand motion. Inan embodiment, the signal measurements are used in combination with aconstrained model of the hand and skin to determine the motion of thehand. In an embodiment, signal measurements are used in combination witha constrained model of the hand and skin to translate the motion into anVR/AR system.

In an embodiment, the transmitting conductors 11 and receivingconductors 12 may be part of a conductor array including one or moretransmitting conductors 11 and one or more receiving conductors 12. Inan embodiment, more conductors will lead to a better measurement of themovements reflected by interior motion. The placement of conductors andthe nature of the conductors so that they establish as a result of thebody movement that is desired to be measured, and not quantity alone,will lead to improved capability for measurement. In an embodiment,conductors are placed in key locations on or proximate to a body part sothat movement of the body part within the generated field can be used todetermine information regarding the body part. By “proximate” it isgenerally meant close enough that the conductors are able to provideinformation regarding the movement of the body part, for example on thewrist area to provide information regarding a hand posture or position.In an embodiment, conductors of an array are placed at specificlocations on the wrist area where articulation can be determined.

In an embodiment, machine learning algorithms are used to associatemovement with consequential signal changes, and then to model movementbased on such consequential signal changes. In an embodiment, (1) acontroller comprising the conductors is positioned for use; (2) aplurality of measurements are taken via the conductors andsimultaneously via a relative ground truth means such as by a camera;(3) a machine learning algorithm is used to associate the measurementswith alterations in the field; and (4) later events are inferred basedupon measurements. For example, a controller comprising conductors maybe worn as a wristband; in view of one or more cameras to operate asground truth, the hand is placed in a series of poses; a machinelearning algorithm then uses the captured sensor and camera data toassociate hand poses or movements with sensor readings; and finally,hand poses are inferred based on sensor readings.

Turning to FIGS. 3 and 4, shown are transmitting conductors 11 clusteredtogether on one side of the perimeter of the controller 20(b). Receivingconductors 12 are located and clustered together on the other side ofthe perimeter of the controller 20(b). As discussed above, theorientation of the transmitting conductors 11 with respect the receivingconductors 12 may vary and many different configurations will beapparent to a person of skill in the art in view of this disclosure.Likewise, the transmitting and receiving (and ground) roles of thetransmitting conductor 11 and the receiving conductors 12 may alternateor be reversed.

In an embodiment, interior motion is inferred by signal measurementsreflecting the electrical interaction between the transmittingconductors 11 and receiving conductors 12. In an embodiment, themeasurements are used to model and determine movement, position and/orother characteristics of body parts. In an embodiment, the measurementsare used to model and determine movement, position and/or othercharacteristics of objects in which the sensors are located.

Turning to FIGS. 5 and 6, controller 20(c) is shown having a pluralityof transmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12 arranged as anarray of square shaped antennas within the sensor structure 10. Thetransmitting conductors 11 and the receiving conductors 12 are shownclustered at opposite sides of the controller 20(c). In an embodiment,the array of transmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12extends around the entire inner circumference of the controller 20(c).As discussed above, the orientation of the transmitting conductors 11with respect to the receiving conductors 12 may vary and many differentconfigurations will be apparent to a person of skill in the art in viewof this disclosure. Likewise, the transmitting and receiving roles ofthe transmitting conductors 11 and the receiving conductors 12 mayalternate or be reversed.

Still referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, antennas often have staticcharacteristics. For example, they have fixed surfaces areas andidentities (i.e. transmitter, receiver, ground). However, it is possibleto vary these characteristics in real-time to dynamically adjust thebehavior of a sensor design.

In addition to surface area, the behavior of each antenna can be changedin real-time to programmatically alter sensor design. Given a matrix ofN×M antenna (such as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6), each with a squaregeometry of 5×5 mm, the behavior of each conductor/antenna can bedynamically designated as a transmitter or receiver. Similarly, someconductors/antennas can be grounded to reduce the response of nearbyreceivers.

Beyond identity, surface area of the sensor can be programmed as well.For example capacitance will increase as the surface area of a capacitorplate increases. Given a matrix of square antennas/conductors, e.g.,each with a surface of 5×5 mm, and a set of physical switches betweeneach antenna, it is possible to dynamically change an antenna's surfacearea. Combinations of these square conductors/antennas can be connectedusing their switches. For example, a group of two conductors/antenna canbe connected to produce a surface area of 50 mm² (i.e. 5×10 mm), a groupof four can be connected to form a 100 mm² area (i.e. 10×10 mm), and soon. Of course, the 5×5 size is just illustrative, and this principlewould be equally applicable to smaller and larger arrays ofantennas/conductors.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic high-level diagram of an embodiment whereconductors are arranged in linear patterns. The conductors are offsetfrom each other so that two of the transmitting conductors 11 extendover the receiving conductors 12 and vice-versa. These transmittingconductors 11 and receiving conductors 12 can extend around thecircumference of a controller. The transmitting conductors 11 andreceiving conductors 12 transmit and receive signals. Motion within thefield generated by the transmitting conductors 11 and the receivingconductors 12 will cause alterations to the field. Measurements in thealterations in the field (magnitude and/or phase) permit determinationof the interior motion. Measurements of the interior motion are able tobe used to infer body motion.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic high-level diagram of an embodiment whereconductors are arranged in an opposing saw-tooth pattern. Thetransmitting conductors 11 are angled in opposite directions from theangling of the receiving conductors 12. These transmitting conductors 11and receiving conductors 12 can extend around the circumference of acontroller. The transmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12transmit and receive signals. Motion within the field generated by thetransmitting conductors 11 and the receiving conductors 12 will causealterations to the field. Measurements in the alterations in the field(magnitude and/or phase) permit determination of the interior motion.Measurements of the interior motion are able to be used to infer bodymotion.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic high-level diagram of an embodiment whereconductors are arranged in complementary saw-tooth pattern. Thetransmitting conductors 11 are angled in the same direction as theangling of the receiving conductors 12. These transmitting conductors 11and receiving conductors 12 can extend around the circumference of acontroller. The transmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12transmit and receive signals. Motion within the field generated by thetransmitting conductors 11 and the receiving conductors 12 will causealterations to the field. Measurements in the alterations in the field(magnitude and phase) permit determination of the interior motion.Measurements of the interior motion are able to be used to infer bodymotion.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic high-level diagram of an embodiment wherecylindrical conductors are arranged in an alternating pattern. Inaddition to this orientation it is possible to orient conductors in avariety of orientations with respect to the surface of a band or otherwearable. These transmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12can extend around the circumference of a controller. The transmittingconductors 11 and receiving conductors 12 transmit and receive signals.Motion within the field generated by the transmitting conductors 11 andthe receiving conductors 12 will cause alterations to the field.Measurements in the alterations in the field (magnitude and phase)permit determination of the interior motion. Measurements of theinterior motion are able to be used to infer body motion.

FIG. 11 shows a schematic high-level diagram of an embodiment wherenon-homogenous conductors are arranged in proximity to each other. Thesetransmitting conductors 11 and receiving conductors 12 can extend aroundthe circumference of a controller. The transmitting conductors 11 andreceiving conductors 12 transmit and receive signals. Motion within thefield generated by the transmitting conductors 11 and the receivingconductors 12 will cause alterations to the field. Measurements in thealterations in the field (magnitude and phase) permit determination ofthe interior motion. Measurements of the interior motion are able to beused to infer body motion.

In an embodiment, very small transmitting and receiving conductors arepositioned directly on a variety of nearby locations (on the body or onthe sensing object), and can detect interior motion due to motion withinthe field generated by the conductors. The interior motion can be usedto infer movement or positions of nearby body parts or forces.

An embodiment of the disclosure is an apparatus comprising atransmitting conductor adapted to transmit signals; a receivingconductor adapted to receive signals transmitted by the transmittingconductor; the transmitting conductor and the receiving conductoroperatively coupled to drive and sense circuitry, the drive and sensecircuitry being adapted to cause the transmitting conductor and thereceiving conductor to form an interacting pair of conductors, and tomeasure the interactions between the interacting pair of conductorsduring a plurality of integration periods; and wherein the drive andsense circuitry determines interior motion within a volume of spaceproximate to the transmitting conductor and the receiving conductorbased upon the measured interactions during a plurality of integrationperiods.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is a method comprising the steps ofgenerating a plurality of frequency-orthogonal signals on each of aplurality of transmitting conductors, respectively; receiving signals ona plurality of receiving conductors, the plurality of receivingconductors being oriented such that each of the plurality oftransmitting conductors forms an interacting pair of conductors with atleast one of the plurality of receiving conductors; processing thereceived signals received during an integration period to determine ameasurement corresponding to each of the plurality offrequency-orthogonal signals for each of the received signals; anddetermining an interior motion based upon the measurements during aplurality of integration periods.

It is understood that the programs and processes discussed herein may beimplemented by means of analog or digital hardware and computer programinstructions. Computer program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, ASIC,or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that theinstructions, which execute via a processor of a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus, implements the functions/actsspecified in the block diagrams or operational block or blocks.

Many different configurations will be apparent to a person of skill inthe art in view of this disclosure. While the invention has beenparticularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof,it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changesin form and details may be made therein without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. An apparatus comprising: a transmitting conductor adapted to transmitsignals; a receiving conductor adapted to receive signals transmitted bythe transmitting conductor; the transmitting conductor and the receivingconductor operatively coupled to drive and sense circuitry, the driveand sense circuitry being adapted to cause the transmitting conductorand the receiving conductor to form an interacting pair of conductors,and to measure the interactions between the interacting pair ofconductors during a plurality of integration periods; and wherein thedrive and sense circuitry determines interior motion within a volume ofspace proximate to the transmitting conductor and the receivingconductor based upon the measured interactions during a plurality ofintegration periods.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interiormotion determined by the drive and sense circuitry is used to determinea position of a body part.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thetransmitting conductor and the receiving conductor comprise one pair ofconductors from a plurality of pairs of conductors.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the transmitting conductor and the receiving conductorare located adjacent to each other.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe transmitting conductor and the receiving conductor are embeddedwithin a sensor structure.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein thesensor structure forms a bracelet and transmitting conductor andreceiving conductor form a portion of a perimeter of the bracelet. 7.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transmitting conductor is locatedon an opposite portion of the perimeter of the bracelet than thereceiving conductor.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein thetransmitting conductor is one of a plurality of transmitting conductorsand the receiving conductor is one of a plurality of receivingconductors, wherein each of the plurality of transmitting conductors islocated opposite at least one of the plurality of receiving conductors.9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the interior motion within a volumeof space occurs within the perimeter of the bracelet.
 10. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the transmitting conductor is one of a plurality oftransmitting conductors formed as an array.
 11. A method comprising thesteps of: generating a plurality of frequency-orthogonal signals on eachof a plurality of transmitting conductors, respectively; receivingsignals on a plurality of receiving conductors, the plurality ofreceiving conductors being oriented such that each of the plurality oftransmitting conductors forms an interacting pair of conductors with atleast one of the plurality of receiving conductors; processing thereceived signals received during an integration period to determine ameasurement corresponding to each of the plurality offrequency-orthogonal signals for each of the received signals; anddetermining an interior motion based upon the measurements during aplurality of integration periods.
 12. The method of claim 11, whereinthe interior motion is within a volume of space proximate to thetransmitting conductor and the receiving conductor.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the interior motion is used to determine a position ofa body part.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality oftransmitting conductors forms and interacting pair with at least one ofthe receiving conductors.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein at leastone of the plurality of transmitting conductors is adjacent to at leastone of the plurality of receiving conductors.
 16. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one of the plurality of transmitting conductors andthe at least one of the plurality of receiving conductors are embeddedin within a sensor structure.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thesensor structure forms a bracelet and the at least one of the pluralityof transmitting conductors and the at least one of the plurality ofreceiving conductors form a perimeter of the bracelet.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the at least one of the plurality of transmittingconductors is located on an opposite portion of the perimeter of thebracelet than the at least one of the plurality of receiving conductor.19. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the plurality oftransmitting conductors is one of a plurality of transmitting conductorsformed as an array.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the measurementsfor the interior motion for at least one of the plurality oftransmitting conductors are taken simultaneously via relative groundtruthing; applying a machine learning algorithm to associate themeasurements with body movements; and inferring additional bodymovements based on data from the machine learning algorithm.